


Solo Leveling - The King

by Dream_En



Category: Bleach, 나 혼자만 레벨업 | Solo Leveling (Webcomic)
Genre: Blood and Gore, End goal: Maybe Grimmichi, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Grammarly is my beta reader, Horror, Kurosaki Ichigo-centric, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29415891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_En/pseuds/Dream_En
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo, an E-Rank hunter enters a D-Rank dungeon with his friends, Orihime and Uryu, to find out he's getting more than he asked for.
Relationships: Inoue Orihime/Ishida Uryuu
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	1. The Dungeon with Dual Doors

**Author's Note:**

> It's basically Bleach Characters replacing the Solo Leveling characters. (I know... I'm so creative and original............)

My lungs burn with every breath I take. Every movement felt like rolling in shards of glass. The puddle of blood beneath me grows larger with every passing second. I glare up at the shadows towering over me.

I do my best to push down the dreadful feeling churning in my gut. Even with my right leg torn off, I’ll rather go down fighting than pathetically kick the bucket because there is danger.

One of the creatures towering over me reached towards where I was sprawled against the altar at the center of the dungeon 

A tired sigh escapes my lips as my fist tightens around the broken sword in my left hand.

_'I’m sorry, Yuzu and Karin. Seems like I won’t be coming home for dinner tonight.'_

**. . .**

_2 hours before_

The streets of Karakura are as lively as ever today. A mop of orange hair stood out from the crowds of people walking along the sidewalk. The young man let out a yawn and scratched the back of his head. He had a backpack slung across his back, and a piece of paper in his hand. The time _Friday 4:45 pm_ in messing handwriting on the crumbled sheet.

He halts in front of an unfinished construction site. There were already people scattered around the area, all chatting with one another without a care in the world about the blue swirling portal ominously sitting in front of the unfinished building. Two familiar faces cause the young man’s face to light up with a smile. 

“Uryu! Orihime!” He called their names as he jogs towards them. Stuffing the piece of crumpled paper back into his back pocket. 

The ravenette male and a girl with long orange hair turned towards him and returned a smile of their own.

“Ichigo! You’re finally here!” Orihime cheered.

Uryu pushed up his glasses, “about time, Kurosaki. We’ve been waiting for 30 minutes for you.”

“Sorry sorry,” Ichigo as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, “I didn’t get much sleep last night because I was just too excited for today. I ended falling asleep at 9 in the morning and waking up at 2.”

“It’s only a level **D-gate** , Kurosaki. I don’t see why you’re so hyped over this.” Uryu scoffed.

“Hey, it's hard to gather material when everyone else is also trying to get their grubby hands on it.” The orange-haired male argued.

“Well, that’s your fault for being an **E-rank.** ”

“Are you asking for an ass-kicking, four-eyes?” 

Orihime waved both her hands frantically, “Now, now! Let’s all calm down. There is no need to talk to each other like that. Aren’t you guys like cousins or something? Shouldn’t families treat each other with kindness?”

“Half-cousins,” Uyru corrected her but decided to obey and not continue to bicker with the other male. Ichigo just rolls his eyes, knowing very well that the only reason his cousin is listening to Orihime is due to his big fat crush for her. If only he wasn’t so oblivious about the pretty obvious fact that the girl liked him too. Both were just too shy to confess. 

Ichigo sighed, ‘ _maybe I can do something about that.’_

He suddenly perked up when he noticed people were starting to gather in front of the gate. 

“Hey, let’s get ready. The raid is about to start.” His friends nod in agreement and they make their way to the other hunters. A middle-aged man who had his arms crossed over his chest stood in front of the group. Ichigo recognized his face from previous raids when he was there to supervise them. He examined every face looking at him expectantly before opening his mouth to speak.

“Everyone! We’re off to go happy hunting! You can call me, Mr. Song, I’ll be the party leader for this raid, is that alright with everyone?”

There were zero objections which caused Oda’s ear to ear grin to widen slightly. “Alright then, let’s head-on into the dungeon! Make sure to be careful!”

The hunters marched in all pumped with excitement and Ichigo followed his friends towards the gate. A hand suddenly placed itself on his shoulder causing his steps to halt. He turned to find himself face to face with Mr. Song.

“Hm?” Ichigo raised a brow.

“You’re an **E-rank** aren’t you?” Mr. Song asked as he curiously tilted his head.

Orihime and Uryu paused before the gate to look back at their friend, wondering what’s the hold-up.

“...Yeah? Is something wrong?” 

The elder man gave him a long stare that started to feel uncomfortable after a few minutes of complete and udder awkward silence. Ichigo’s anxiety disperses when Mr. Song lets out an amused chuckle, “make sure to be careful, alright?”

“Um- er… Ok?”

“I saw how you like to throw yourself to protect others in previous raids. It’s reckless but I’ve got to admit you’re very ballsy. We may have an excellent healer with us today, but I don’t like seeing youngsters getting hurt on a simple raid such as this.”

Ichigo frowned but decided to nod anyway. Mr. Song patted his shoulder and allowed him to quickly catch up to his friends who were patiently waiting for him. 

They all enter the dungeon.

**. . .**

_Ten years ago, “the gate” that connected the real world with the monster world opened. To combat these savage creatures, humans developed the power to hunt them within the gate. These humans with powers are known as “hunters”._

_However, not all hunters are not equal in power. It’s rare when one is born a powerful hunter._

Uyru gave Ichigo the most disapproving look a man could make. Ichigo scowled and avoided all eye contact as Orihime healed his knee. 

“How did you even trip? It was only a rodent!” The ravenette took off his own glasses for a moment to rub the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine approaching.

“It surprised me! I was busy dealing with the other rat-looking monsters.” Ichigo’s scowled even harder. "I turned around and it was just staring at me with those beady little eyes. Almost anyone would freak out!"

"I never thought I'd hear your voice go that high. Apparently there is a first time for everything."

"Shut up, four-eyes!"

“Ichigo?” Orihime’s voice caused the said boy to look at her. 

“Yes, Orihime?”

“Please, don’t take this personally… But why are you so adamant about working as a hunter? Won’t fighting bring more life-threatening risks?” She asked. 

The orange-haired male paused before looking away to watch the other hunters fight off the monsters. “...You know guys know why. Regular jobs can never pay for hospital and my little sisters’ schooling bills.”

Uryu furrowed his brows slightly, “if you need money, you know my father will be more than willing to donate-”

“I appreciate the offer, Uryu.” Ichigo immediately cut him off before he could say more. “But mom wouldn’t have wanted that. Plus, I’m making enough to pay the house bills. With this raid, I’ll be able to buy Yuzu the paint set she wants for her birthday. And a new pair of soccer shoes for Karin.”

“Kurosaki…”

“Ichigo…”

The light from Orihime’s palm dissipated and Ichigo stood up to test his knee. There was no pain all thanks to Orihime’s **B-rank** healing powers. He thanked the girl and received a small smile in return. 

“Lookee here everyone!”

All heads turned to Mr. Song who held up a star-shaped glowing crystal.

“This is what you get after killing a monster - _The magical core._ ”

Ichigo tilted his head and spotted a similar-looking magical core lying nearby on the floor. He picked it up to examine it as Mr. Song continues to explain. 

“A magical core from even a **C-rank** monster is worth thousands. Make sure to hold onto these so we can trade it in for cash later.” 

_‘In_ **_E-rank_ ** _raids, I usually can only get my hands on 2 or 3 if I'm lucky. Better put this away somewhere safe.’_ Ichigo put the magical core in his backpack that was lying nearby. 

“Hey!” A voice called to the rest of the party causing all heads to turn towards them. “Everyone! There's another entrance here!!”

They migrated deeper into the cave to find that there was indeed a giant hole on the side of the wall. Mr. Song whistled at the sight, “The double lair, huh. Looks like it’s actually real.”

He said before summoning a giant fireball and threw it into the darkness. The fireball kept on going ahead as if the tunnel had no end.

Ichigo scowled, ' _what the hell?'_

“Hmm…” Mr. Song scratched his chin, “everyone listen to me for a moment.”

His serious tone caused everyone to quiet down and turn to him.

“The gate does not close if the boss is still alive. Since the gate is still open, it seems the boss is inside there. Usually, we’d need to contact our guild and await their orders but…” 

Everyone glanced at one another, waiting for him to continue. 

“...If other hunters get to it first, our profits would dwindle. So I wish for all of us to go kill the boss. However, since it could be dangerous, why don’t 17 of us take a vote?”

Before any of them could open their mouths, Mr. Song threw in one last sentence, “AND no complaining after the vote results.”

The party decided to vote amongst themselves, leaving very a mixed result. A constant back and forth of _yes’s_ and _no’s._

“I-I don’t think we should go,” Orihime said as she eyed the tunnel nervously.

“I’m not sure either. It seems rather reckless just to go in without back-up.” Uryu, of course, would follow whatever Orihime wanted to do.

“It’s 8:8 so far, huh?” Mr. Song chuckled. He then promptly turned to Ichigo, the final voter and tiebreaker.

“So, Kid… what’ll it be?”

Ichigo blinked owlishly at all the attention suddenly being put on him. 

“I…”

**_“I’m sorry, Mr. Kurosaki. Putting Masaki Kurosaki on life support costs a lot of money. Are you sure you want to do that?”_ **

_‘I need to do this. To earn enough money to support Yuzu and Karin. And enough money to help mom get better. For my family.’_

“I’ll do it!”

**. . .**

“How long have we been walking? My legs hurt.” One of the party members complained.

“About 40 minutes.” Mr. Song answered, flashing his flashlight ahead with the others. “The gate closes in an hour after we kill the boss. So we have about 20 minutes left.”

As the older men and women talk amongst themselves, Ichigo and his friends trail behind them.

“I’m sorry...” Ichigo suddenly said.

“About what?” Orihime tilted her head.

“Forcing you guys to come here after I voted yes...”

“We’re fine.” The girl gave him another small smile, “so you don’t need to worry about us.”

“Uh..er- really?”

“To be honest,” Ichigo’s head snapped to Uryu who was radiating a dark annoyed aura around him. He gulped at the sight. “No, I’m not okay.”

“Are you insane?? You got hurt by a measly rodent and you want to go deeper into the ominous-looking tunnel?? You’re lucky you have me and Orihime here for you! Or else you’d be rat food!” Uryu fumed. “I’m starting to think you like getting hurt. Are you a masochist or something? Charging into something potentially more dangerous than you normally deal with??”

“S-sorry.” Ichigo inches away. ‘ _It's true. It’s only because of Uryu and Orihime being_ **_B-Rank_ ** _hunters that I’m still alive. I’m in their debt… yet again.’_

Orihime patted Uryu’s shoulder to calm him down. 

“It’ll be alright. I’m sure the raid will end soon. It’s only a **D-rank** boss.” 

The ravenette spluttered and blushed under the affectionate touches. “I…” He looked away. “Yeah, ok… whatever.”

His red face didn’t go unnoticed by the orange-haired girl and boy. Orihime panicked slightly thinking the worst, “are you alright, Uryu? Are you sick? What’s wrong? Why are you red?”

“I-it’s nothing! Let’s just all face ahead, not look at each other, and keep walking.”

“Are you sure, Uryu? Quickly! Orihime! Put your hand on his forehead to see if it’s warm or not! He might have a fever!” Ichigo said. From the way his cousin sent a glare at him, he probably sensed the sarcasm and teasing tone from his voice.

The girl did what she was told and placed her hand gently on Uryu’s forehead. An innocent frown made its way onto her face, “you don’t have a fever.”

“Orihime… it’s”

“Huh, but you have very nice skin. It’s super smooth.” 

Ichigo let out a hearty laugh at how Uryu’s blush grew darker. Orihime quickly retracted her hand. 

“O-oh! Sorry, that’s a weird thing to say. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable! It was just that it looked smooth but I didn’t know if it was real until now. Wait- I wasn’t thinking about your skin or anything, I swear! I-”

“I-it’s fine, Orihime. You don’t have to explain anything.” Uryu tried to calm her down.

Ichigo snickered at how love-sick his friends were. ‘ _God, get a room already.’_

One of the party member’s voices suddenly called out, causing the three to turn towards the front.

“It’s here! The boss's room!!”

There, in front of the group sat a pair of humongous doors. It was dark grey and had gold outlines. 

“I’ve never seen a room with this type of door before.”

“It’s strange.”

“Hey, isn't this place supposed to be dangerous?” Another middle-aged male asked. 

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to return empty-handed after coming here?” Mr. Song’s voice caused all eyes to fall on him. “We could be the first ones to enter this dungeon.”

He turned back to look at them. “Those who want to leave can go. I’m going in there alone if I must.”

The party members, once again, exchanged looks with one another.

“Well, Mr. Song Chi-Yul's skill is amazing. He also has an extremely offensive style out of the **C-Rank** hunters.”

“That man, if he wasn’t about to be 60, he could’ve been in any guild. Since we came here because we trusted Mr. Song, we might as well follow him to the end.”

With that decided, they pushed open the doors.

“Wow, it opens easier than I thought it would…” Mr. Song commented before stepping inside, “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

They all trailed in after him. Ichigo examined the room, awestruck expressions. It was decorated with tall stone statues and blue flamed torches. A statue sat at the very end of the room on a chair that seemed like a throne. It felt like a throne room. It’s nothing like the boring **E-Rank** dungeons he’s used to.

“Oh~ The lights are on. Nice!” Mr. Song jokes.

“I’ve never seen a dungeon like this before,” Uryu commented, looking almost as awestruck as Ichigo. “This is more other-worldly than the dungeon itself.”

“Alright, let’s scatter and scout the area. It seems like no one’s been here in a long time.” Mr. Song said as he examined the concrete wall covered in plants and looked to be falling apart. Then he turned his gaze to the statues surrounding them all. “These statues… they feel weird. They’re holding something different. Some of them are even holding instruments. There’s quite a lot of them. It feels kind of scary since there are so many.”

“Doesn’t it feel like someone is staring at you?” One of the party members commented.

“Stop saying such negative things! You’re going to creep me out!”

“Wow, look at that! It’s huge!” One of them pointed to the statue sitting on the throne. Just like the concrete wall, it was covered in moss and had cracks all over it. Ichigo frowned as he examined the statue from the ground. Black streaks were coming from its eyes as if it were crying black liquid. Creepy.

“That’s not the boss, right?”

Mr. Song shook his head, “Don’t think so. It’s only a statue after all.”

“This is the only statue that is huge,” Ichigo finally voiced his opinion.

“There’s nothing that resembles a monster here.”

“Right?” 

Mr. kicks a small pebble away from his feet. Something suddenly catches his eye and he looks down at the ground. “Hm?”

“What is this… a magic seal?”

It had a pentagon shape with circles in every corner. Inside the circles seemed to have what looks like land but none of them could be any nation that belonged to the earth.

The middle-aged man scowled, “just what is this place?”

“Mr. Song~! Something’s written here! I think you need to come!”

Everyone crowded around a statue that looked like a hooded angel holding a plate with texts on it. 

“Let’s see…” Mr. Song examined the plate and began to read it out loud.

**_Carthenon temple’s commandments._ **

**_First, worship the Lord._ **

**_Second, praise the Lord._ **

“H-hey, Ichigo…” Someone tugged on his sleeve. 

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Th… there... The huge statue…”

Ichigo turned to look at Orihime to see Uryu and her looking at the statue on the throne.

**_Third, prove your faith._ **

“The eye-ball just moved… it was looking at us…” 

Ichigo furrowed his brows. There was nothing different about the statue since the last time he looked at it. _Impossible. They were just statues after all. Nothing to be afraid of._

“Huh? Are you sure you guys aren’t mistaken?”

Ichigo stared at it with a bored expression when suddenly he noticed something off about the room. ‘ _Come to think of it, the room_ _got so quiet that the air seems chilly.’_

**_Those who do not follow these commandments,_ **

**_Will NEVER return alive._ **

BOOM!

All heads snapped towards the loud sound to find the doors they had entered from are now shut closed.

“The door! I-it shut by itself!”

“Impossible! It could’ve been the wind!”

“There is _no_ wind in a dungeon, you dumbass.”

“Alright, everybody calm down.” Mr. Song ordered them.

A blue-haired girl in the group cried, “what do we do now?”

“We-” 

Mr. Song was cut off by another party member that started to scream in frustration.

“Dammit! I can’t stand this anymore!!” A man with shaven black hair wearing a black and white jacket started towards the shut doors. “You guys are all spouting nonsense! It was a complete mistake to even come here!”

“I’m leaving!” He growled, “the boss, treasures, WHATEVER! You guys can take it! Good luck!”

Mr. Song let out a tired sigh and was about to let the man do whatever he wishes until he saw something move at the corner of his eye. 

“...wait a minute-- STOP! DON’T PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE HANDLE!” 

But it was too late. 

Blood splattered all over the walls and up.

Everyone watches in horror as one of the statues near the door, holding a trident, completely blows off the man’s head with a single swing. His headless body slowly slumps to the ground, his hand still on the handle. The statue moves back to stand in the previous position it was in.

“Th… That thing moves!!”

“The hell!?! We have to fight those!?!”

Uryu and Orihime quickly clung to each other, completely horrified by what they had just witnessed. Ichigo could only stand there and stare at the spot where the man was alive a moment ago. 

‘ _Wait…’_

Ichigo’s eyes were wide with fear.

**_“Th-there… the eye-ball…”_ **

_‘If that was really true…”_

He slowly turned to look at the statue on the throne.

This time… a pair of glowing irises was staring down at them.

“Ah…” Ichigo has never felt so scared in his life.


	2. The Dungeon with Dual Doors [Part 2]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: ... I basically stole the dialogue and plot from Chapter 1-10 for solo leveling. Chapters from here on now will only have the same plot as Solo leveling. I only needed something to get the ball rolling for the story.

“Th… That Thing Moves!!!”

“The Hell?!? We have to fight those?!?”

Everyone crowded closer toward the center of the room, absolutely terrified to be anywhere near the statues around them. Ichigo gulped.

 _‘What was the rank of the one that just died now?’_ He quickly glanced at the body, _‘_ ** _D-Rank?_ ** _Even if he was bad, he still would’ve been stronger than an_ **_E-Rank_ ** _like me.’_

He then looked back at the Statue responsible for decapitating the man. The statue was splatter with his blood and stood there like it hadn’t just moved. _‘But in one hit??’_

 _‘Wait, wait, a second. This dungeon is supposed to be a_ **_D-Rank_ ** _at most. I’ve never heard of monsters as strong as them in the likes of **D-Rank** dungeons.'_

Ichigo watches the statue warily, waiting for it to make another move and attack them. Instead, it continued to stand there. So did everyone else. 

“If all the statues can move,” Mr. Song started, “Don’t tell me..” He was looking at the largest one sitting on the throne. “Even that one…?” 

Shivers went down everyone’s spine.

‘ _Wait…’_

Ichigo’s eyes widen with fear.

**_“Th-there… the eye-ball…”_ **

_‘If that was really true…”_

He slowly turned to look at the statue on the throne.

This time… a pair of glowing irises was staring down at them.

“Ah…” Ichigo has never felt so scared in his life.

**. . .**

The first time Ichigo had gone and done his first raid was when he got fired from his job in a convenience store that was paying him minimum wage. Before that, he heard from a co-worker about how to get money the most efficient way possible - becoming a hunter and gathering Monster core. 

Hunting didn't become has been around for about 10 years, yet it only gains attention and popularity in recent years.

Ichigo hesitantly decided to try it out and experienced his first near-death experience. He had accidentally broken away from the party and gotten lost in the dungeon. The ambush from the back by a monster had him in the hospital for weeks. The doctors said he was very lucky to be able to walk away from that encounter where an attack like that could cripple a lot of people due to the spinal cord close to being nearly severed. 

Not only that, the most embarrassing thing about the accident was the monster being an **E-Rank** of all things. He didn’t even manage to get his hand on a magical core. 

Raids after didn't get easier, no matter how hard he trained, Ichigo had learned after a few more raids that hunters' rank never changed. Their strength stays the same from when they were awakened - it never changes. He stays as an **E-Rank** no matter how unfair it seems. All though he may be stronger than regular humans, he was hardly anything special compared to other hunters.

Even after all the raids, Ichigo has done, he always never had enough money to buy himself equipment. Poor swords just break easily and are a waste of money. Healers are only there to heal the serious of serious injuries. 

_“That brat came out injured again.”_

_“Pfft- In a mere **E-Rank** dungeon??” _

_“I feel bad for the healers raiding with him”_

_“They work twice as hard.”_

_“Does he even have a special ability or is he a normal human looking to mooch off of others?”_

_“If that’s the reason, I’m glad he got hurt. Serves him right for trying to steal from other people.”_

_“Do you know what people call him? The world’s weakest hunter - meaning even though he is a hunter, he’s_ ** _useless._ ** _”_

Even though Ichigo ignored their remarks and did his best to keep up with the other **E-Ranks** , deep down inside he couldn’t agree more. 

He is useless.

**. . .**

“Everyone, duck!”

Ichigo managed to yell out before he pushed Uryu and Orihime to the ground. He managed to duck down with them, barely missing the large golden laser beam being shot out the statue’s eyes. The ground below them shook violently from the pressure but all three kept their eyes shut out of fear. 

_‘Holy shit!’_

Ichigo finally opened his when he heard someone screaming bloody murder. The attack was over, but not without any fatalities. A few of their party members had been caught in the blast and all that was left was a severed hand. It was still sizzling. The room smelt like smoke and blood. Ichigo covered his mouth in an attempt to keep himself from throwing up.

He distracted his mind by looking to his friends to see if they were alright. Other than being completely terrified, they didn’t have a single scratch on them. Orihime had covered her ears and curled up in a fetal position to block out everything around her as Uryu did his best to comfort her and calm her down.

As the other party members started to get back onto their feet before Mr. Song promptly yelled out an order, “Don’t stand up! Just remain in your position! If we stand up, it will attack us again!!”

“Mr. Song…” Some of them exchanged unsure looks and glanced at the door.

Ichigo had the same mindset as them. He wanted nothing but to run out of this death trap with Orihime and Uryu to safety. 

“Ok…. We’ll stay.”

“Mr. Song! Orihime is no longer responding!” Uryu called the older man nervously. 

Mr. Song frowned but there was nothing but concern on his face.

“Miss Inoue must not be able to handle fear that well. That’s why she can only go on basic raids even though she is a **B-Rank** healer. But here…”

They all turned to the giant statue.

“It doesn’t seem basic. Only those who moved died. All the people, who listen to you, live.” Ichigo blinked. Was Mr. Song talking to him?

“Oh… Is that true?”

“Wait,” Mr. Song furrowed his brow. “Did you yell because you knew what would happen?”

“No... It was only because it felt dangerous…” Ichigo replied as he examined the elder man’s expression.

Come to think of it, he was sweating a lot and breathing so heavily. Ichigo knew the man was old but it couldn’t have taken that much effort to get onto the ground. And Mr. Song was a **C-Rank**. Why is he-

Ichigo's eyes widened, “Sir, your arm!”

Mr. Song gritted his teeth, “I-I’ll be fine. Just help stop the bleeding, will ya?”

The younger didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly dug into his backpack to pull out a roll of bandages and quickly wrapped it around the wound.

“Kid… what rank does that look like to you?” Mr. Song had his eyes trained on the statue sitting on the throne.

“Don’t know… I’ve never been into a raid higher than a **D-Rank**.” If Ichigo didn’t have any pride, he would’ve said the monsters around them were out of his league and beyond.

“I’ve only experienced a **B-Rank** once or twice.” The older man admitted, “I can definitely say that this place exceeds that of a **B-Rank** dungeon. Even there, the monsters weren’t any near this overpowered.”

“This is **A-Rank** … No. Maybe an **S-Rank**.” Ichigo’s eyes widened at the statement. He glanced back at the angel statue and something in his head suddenly clicked.

“.... Sir, just now, there was the Carthenon Temple’s Commandments-”

**_First, worship the Lord._ **

**_Second, praise the Lord._ **

**_Third, prove your faith._ **

**_Those who do not follow these commandments,_ **

**_Will-_ **

“-never return alive. These were written on there.”

“Mr. Song, the lord…I think,” Ichigo gestured to the biggest statue in the room, “means that one, right?”

“...” The middle-aged man scowled even harder. Ichigo couldn’t tell if it was the blood loss or the fear causing Mr. Song to look so pale. Most likely both reasons.

“Killing all of them would also take too much time…”

“Will you be fine? The bleeding is not stopping.” Ichigo didn’t have many bandage rolls left due to using most of them in his last raid. The blood was already beginning to drip once again even though it had only been a few minutes since he wrap it. Did he not wrap it up properly? Ichigo wondered.

“There’s nothing we can do now, is there?” Mr. Song chuckled darkly. His voice sounded strained causing the orange-haired boy to wince. If they do not get out of here fast enough, they will have more dead people on their hands.

They both turned to look at the crater the laser beams created. It was still sizzling from the heat.

“One got attacked so brutally that not even his corpse remained. One is so shocked he’s acting like that-”

From where Ichigo was, he could see a man hugging his knees rocking back and forth, praying something on the lines of: _“S-Save m-me... Save m-me… I want to live...”_

“-Even a **B-Rank** like Miss Inoue here probably never experienced anything like this before. Heh, that’s why receiving healing may be a little hard for now.” 

Uryu had grabbed one of Orihime’s hands and soothingly rubbed his thumb off her knuckles. He whispered comforting words like, _“it’s alright, Hime. You’re going to be alright. We’ll get out of here. Don’t worry. I’m here for you.”_ At least that seemed to help stop the trembling. Ichigo would’ve cooed and teased his cousin if it weren’t for the situation at hand.

“I think it would be better to just stay still against the likes of _him,_ ” Mr. Song glared at the Lord whose eyes were still glowing. At Least they weren’t looking at them, so no more laser beams for now.

“When the situation clears a bit, let’s try running then. Although it won’t be easy…”

Behind them, Ichigo could hear some of the other hunters coping over the situations in their own ways.

_“Why did we come here…?”_

_“This is only a_ **_D-Rank_ **_dungeon… Only a_ **_D-Rank_ ** _…_ ”

_“I have a wife and two kids! I can’t die like this!’_

One of them was just flat out sobbing.

 _‘Just like what Mr. Song said, we’ll get attacked if we move. Even if we somehow bypass him, we still have to go through the guard statue.’_ He winced at the memory of the man being decapitated with one blow. Ichigo glared at the Lord. _‘He probably never intended for us to leave!”_

“I won’t die like this!” Everyone’s heads turned to a party member who foolishly began to stand up.

“I finally joined a big guild,” He was in a kneeling position as if he was going to make a run for it. “So I can’t die here!”

Before Ichigo could open his mouth, Mr. Song beat him to it. 

“What are you doing?! Don’t move!!” His words fell on deaf ears.

“Yeah! I can do it. If anything, I’m confident in my own speed! I’ll go through the door in an instant!!”

Faster than Ichigo’s eyes can catch up, the man sprinted towards the way they came in. 

_‘That idiot.’_ Is the only thing Ichigo could mentally curse before the room was filled with bright blinding light and the man was suddenly gone. All that was left was everything below the ankles. He was fast, but not faster than the Lord’s laser beam.

Again, half of the hunters let out a horrified scream of bloody murder. Ichigo gritted his teeth and punched the ground.

_‘ow.’_

“These guys can kill us whenever they feel like it, can’t they…”

Mr. Song couldn’t agree more, “it would be easier than squashing bugs.”

“They could wipe out all of us in an instant, so why aren’t they??”

“Dunno. Probably have a thing for playing with their prey or something like that.”

 _‘Even if it could, it does not kill. It’s different from the other monsters who blindly attack hunters on sight. The Guard statue that attacks when approaching the door. The Lord statue that shoots beams when you move… they attack in a pattern!’_ Ichigo blinked, _‘A pattern…? It can’t be- There’s a rule in this room?!”_

He looked back at the angel statue again.

_‘The commandments of Carthenon!!”_

“Mr... Song! What was the first Commandment??”

The elder male raised a brow, “C-commandment…? The first would be, worship the Lord?”

 _‘The lord, huh…’_ Ichigo glanced at the Lord.

“Sir, there’s a rule in this dungeon.” He began to stand up but Mr. Song tried to pull him back down.

“What are you doing?! He’ll shoot you if you move!”

“If I’m correct…”

“Are you crazy-” Mr. Song paused seeing the look in the younger male’s eyes. _‘Those aren’t the eyes of a man who seeks death.’_

“He doesn’t attack those who move.” 

The Lord’s head immediately spun towards his direction and Ichigo promptly got back onto the ground before it could attack. For a long while, the lord stared at him and finally turned his head away.

 _‘So I was right,’_ he mentally cheered. _‘He starts to attack if you move past a certain height! I finally understand the meaning for the first commandant!’_

“Everyone!!” Ichigo turned to his fellow party members, “bow down to the statue!!”

They just looked at each other, confused why a kid was giving out orders on what to do.

“Brat, have you gone mad?!

“What are you talking about??”

“You figured out something, right?” Mr. Song asked.

“Yes.” Ichigo nods, “he movies if you move past a certain height, and therefore doesn’t attack when you bow down low enough... _“_ **_Worship the Lord,_** _”_ means to literally bow down and worship him. So-”

Ichigo got onto his hands and knees and bowed his head to the ground.

“-When you bow down to him….”

“This didn’t come from just a gut feeling, right?”

“...it did for now.”

Mr. Song sighed, “Well… there’s nothing else we can do right now.”

Everyone got onto their hands and knees to bow their head to the ground. Uryu had managed to calm Orihime down enough for her to do the same.

Ichigo, even with his head facing the ground, was still able to watch the Lord’s glowing eyes slowly dissipate. He let out a loud sigh of relief, but it was very short-lived when a creepy wide grin formed on the statue’s face. The grin revealed his large boney teeth and gums. It sent shivers down every hunter’s spine.

 _‘What the hell? His expression!’_ The Lord’s eyes were no longer yellow, but red now. _‘It changed?!’_

“Looks like he stopped attacking.” 

“No way…”

“Don’t you think he’s going to try something else now?”

“Is everything actually going to be fine now because we bowed to him?”

“H-h-Hey! If you stand up like that…” 

“L-look!” Ichigo turned and saw a man standing on his feet, unharmed.

“The attacks stopped!!”

Hesitantly, everyone else began to do the same and was shocked to find they haven’t been blasted by a laser beam.

“It’s true!”

“He isn’t doing anything!!”

“No way is it really over???”

“We survived!”

“We get to live!”

Ichigo took a small step back as he watched the lord begin to move. _‘No, not yet…’_

The entire statue slowly rose from his throne and towered over the hunters with a terrifying expression. 

“W-wait, it’s not over yet??”

“No….!”

“Don’t tell me we have to face him?” Mr. Song cursed and turned to look at Ichigo who was trembling where he was standing. “Kid! Don’t you have any other plans?!”

“E-even if you ask me…” The Lord lifted a foot up.

“You really don’t have any ideas??”

“I don’t know what to do either!!”

The statue slammed his foot to the ground and it triggered a small earthquake throughout the room. Everyone struggled to stay on their feet. 

“Wait! This dungeon has its own rules!! The first was worshiping the Lord! The second is to praise him!” Ichigo turned to others behind him, “that has to be the key!!”

“Praise?!”

“If it's praising, then…”

“I-I’ll give it a shot!” A man with long ebony black hair spoke up. “I was a member of the church choir, once. If it’s singing and praising, I’ve got this!”

Everyone stepped away from him as he approached the lord slowly. The man pulled out a small cross attached to the chain necklace and began to pray.

“I-I approach the lord, make me anew and pour your graces. The weakness found within me, all will wash away. From the love of the lord…”

 _‘Wait…’_ Ichigo gulped.

“...your love holds on to me.”

“Is it working?” Someone asks.

“It does look like the Lord is moving slower…”

_‘No…!’_

The man continued, “like an eagle flapping its wings above,”

_‘That’s…!’_

The statue lifted its foot once again.

“I shall also walk with my lord above. From within the lord’s love,”

 _‘That’s praising the wrong god…!’_ Ichigo opened his mouth to yell at the man to run, but it was far too late.

The Lord squashed the man with his foot like he was nothing but a bug. Every other hunter that was alive screamed and began to run towards the walls of the room. Ichigo grabbed Uryu’s and Orihime’s hands before they followed their fellow party members. Mr. Song was not far behind. They pass a woman who was too busy having a mental breakdown to move. Ichigo screamed at her to run away but she didn’t listen. She too was crushed by the Lord’s foot.

Ichigo cursed and looked at the other hunters who were towards the knight statues by the wall. The man who cried about his wife and kids earlier, foolishly stood next to one and was suddenly sliced right through the middle, from his face to his feet, by a knight statue.

 _‘Praise the Lord. Praise the lord?? How do we praise a god-like him?!?’_ Ichigo pulled Orihime and Uryu closer when he felt them fall behind slightly. He glanced up at the lord’s chilling grin. _‘That’s the fucking_ **_devil!!_ ** _’_

Ichigo watched as more hunters foolishly continued to go to the knight statues seeking salvation from the Lord. They all ended up being chopped up or losing a limb.

“Huh?” The orange-hair boy suddenly noticed that not all the statues had weapons. A couple of them were holding instruments.

_‘Do they attack with instruments too?? Guards only attack when you get too close. Once you do that, they move based on predetermined motions. If the statues holding instruments do that too, then…!”_

“Everyone! Run towards the statues with the instruments!”

“The ones with the instruments? Are you sure??”

“Just do it!”

Mr. Song ran to one with a horn and waited for it to attack him. It did quite the opposite and began to play its instrument. 

“It.. started playing?” He turned to the others, “the statues holding instruments don’t attack! Find the ones with instruments!”

Ichigo looked at Uryu, “Go to the violin! Orihime and I will go to one with the drum!”

“But-!”

“Just go! We’ll be fine!”

Uryu hesitantly let go of his hand and sprinted to the statue with the violin. It began to play beautifully but that did not calm his anxiety as he watched his cousin and Orihime make their way to the drummer.

Ichigo looked up at the drummer impatiently, “Hurry up and start playing, already! C’mon!!”

Nothing.

Orihime let out a choked sob.

_‘Wait, could it be that two people can’t stand underneath the same statue??’_

“Ichigo…”

“Hime! Don’t move!! You’ll be safe if you stay there!” He let go of her hand and sprinted to the right. 

“Ichigo!!” She tried to reach out for him to come back. The drummer began to play along with the other musicians. 

Ichigo spotted a woman statue that didn’t have a weapon and started towards it. The Lord not so far behind him.

‘Just a little more... A little more!”

The Lord’s foot hovered above him and slammed down... Ichigo moved quick enough to avoid being crushed but the attack did cause the floor to crumble slightly.

“Not that way!!” Ichigo heard Mr. Song shouted at him and looked up to see a knight with a shield in front of him. It lifted its weapon and slammed down.

“Ichigo!!” Orihime cried.

Ichigo’s entire body trembled and twitched from the pain but he couldn’t give up now. The Lord was only a few steps behind him as he slowly but surely crawled to the female statue.

“I-instrument… an instru... Please...”

“Ichigo! You’re almost there!” Uryu shouted. Some of the others joined in. They were desperately cheering him on to continue.

_‘If there truly is a god... please… life…”_

“Keep going!”

_‘And death…. I was holding onto a thread that kept me from dying.’_

“Don’t give up, Kid! You’re so close!”

_‘But now it feels like…. Even that may break…’_

Ichigo collapsed and let out a silent sob. The room suddenly filled with a breathtaking song as the female statue began to sing. The Lord’s feet stop as he listens to the melody around him.

Orihime and Uryu deemed that as a green light to move and sprinted to their fallen companion. 

“Ichigo! Are you okay??”

“Eh… So-so…” He gave them a strained chuckle and managed to sit himself up. _‘Everything hurts.’_

“Ichigo-! Y-you're…” Orihime gasped and covered her mouth.

“Huh?” He looked down.. “...Oh.”

“My leg.” 

Everything below his right knee was severed off and a puddle of blood began to form under him.

**. . .**

_When he was 9 years old, Ichigo had woken up very late one night to his parents arguing._

_“You need to be more careful!”_

_“Don’t worry, it’s only just_ ** _a_ ** _finger. It’ll grow back…”_

_“That’s not-- That’s not how humans work, dummy!”_

_The little boy slid out of his bed and slowly made his way to the bedroom door. He cracked it open slightly to see what’s going on. A woman with long gorgeous orange hair was pampering a scruffy ravennette male. He was forced to sit in a chair by the kitchen table as she went to search the cabinets and came back with a first aid kit._

_“You know you’re son is going to freak out and ask questions, right?”_

_“Yeah. I-”_

_“So why do you keep going out there and doing what you do? What happens if it ends up being an entire arm?? I already have to worry about having two more kids on the way, now I have to worry about you getting hurt??”_

_“Misaki… I’m doing this to make sure Ichigo and the babies live in a world without worrying about being endangered. It’s a dangerous place out there… the least I could do is shield them long enough to live a great life before it becomes too much.”_

_The woman paused what she was doing to tilt her head. Her eyes soften slightly. “...What if you don’t come back, one day?”_

_“...”_

_Misaki let out a tired sigh._

_“Isshin, love, I know that I can’t stop you from doing what you do, but please…” Her hold on the bandage roll tightens, “promise me you’ll be more careful… I don’t want to be the one to tell our kids that their father won’t be coming back.”_

_“....I understand.” He lifted a hand and placed it tenderly on her cheek. “I’ll do my best to keep that promise.”_

_There was a long comfortable silence after that. The two stared into each other’s eyes before slowly leaning in._

_“Papa…?”_

_Misaki quickly pushed Isshin away to run over to Ichigo who was standing in the doorway, holding his favorite stuffed lion plushy close to his chest._

_“I-Ichigo! Sweetie! What are you doing up so late? Did you have a nightmare or something?”_

_“No, I heard yelling and wanted to see what’s going on.”_

_“O-oh.” Masaki glanced at Isshin who was giving her a_ **_“that’s-your-fault”_ ** _kind of look._

_“Sorry about that sweetie. I didn’t know I was being so loud.”_

_“Is Mommy and Papa fighting?”_

_“No, no! I’m just yelling at Papa hear for being dumb. Everything is alright. Do”_

_Ichigo hugged his plushy, Kon, closer. He looked to his father and frowned when he saw all the bandages._

_“Papa! What happened to your finger??”_

_Isshin froze up before trying to scrabble for some words. He looked to Misaki for help but she gave him a_ **_“you're-on-your-own-for-this-one”_ ** _kind of look. The ravenette sighed and picked up his son. Wincing slightly from the small ping of pain shooting up his hand._

_“Uh... Papa got in a fight at work with some guys and accidentally got it cut off.”_

_Isshin did not miss the disproving look Misaki was giving him when Ichigo began to tear up._

_“D-don’t worry! Papa is ok! I beat them all up!”_

_Ichigo sniffled, “does it hurt?”_

_“Eh, I think I need your mom’s magical kisses to feel better.”_

_She opened her mouth to protest but the words got caught in her throat when she saw the puppy eyes they were giving her. Misaki sighed in defeat and lifted her husband’s hand to kiss his knuckles._

_“There, better?”_

_“Mmmm…. maybe a couple more?”_

_“No.”_

_“Pretty please!” Isshin pleaded childishly,_

_“You’re not the child here! Stop acting like one!” Misaki scowled._

_The ravenette pulled Ichigo into a hug and began to fake cry dramatically. “Ichigo! My son! Your mother is being so mean to me! She doesn’t love me any moRE!”_

_The boy giggled at his father’s antics and it immediately shifted the atmosphere in the room to a lighter one. Misaki couldn’t help but smile when she caught on to what her husband was doing._

_“Hey, Papa?”_

_“Hm?”_

_“When is your finger growing back?”_

_Misaki stilled, “Isshin! What are you teaching our son?? I already told you that isn’t how human body autonomy works!”_

_There was a raging inferno behind her. Isshin lifted both his hands in front of him in a defensive way._

_“It wasn’t me! I swear! We were watching an animal documentary about Lizards the other day!”_

_“We saw a lizard’s tail get chopped off by hunters. There was a lot of blood!” Ichigo piped up._

_“Isshin!”_

_“S-Sorry!”_

**. . .**

Ichigo came out of his reverie when he felt someone give his shoulder a light smack.

“What are you smiling about?” Uryu asked.

The other male chuckled, “I was remembering something just now. It’s nothing important.”

They look at Orihime who was busy trying to heal Ichigo’s severed limb before suddenly coughing out blood. Uryu tensed up and ran to her side. The other hunters were gathered nearby. 

“Orihime! Don’t push yourself too hard!”

“Will she be alright?” Mr. Song asked.

“How horrible,” someone else commented.

“Well, at least the Kid survived.”

“We started with 17 and now there are only 7 left…” A middle-aged man with greying hair stated.

“And 2 are gravely Injured.” Mr. Song glanced at his arm before looking back to Ichigo who was looking very pale and forcing himself to breathe. 

“It’s unfortunate that you lost your arm,” The middle-aged man began to say to Mr. Song, “but this all because you made a rash decision as party leader. Mr. Song… you just wait for your punishment.”

The other male didn’t disagree. He answered with a blank look on his face while placing his hand on the bloodied bandages around his severed arm. 

“Yeah…”

The ground shook once again from the Lord’s footsteps. Everyone tense up and looked up at him.

“That bastard… not again!”

Everyone watched as the statue walked towards the center of the room before clapping his hand once. Something from the ceiling fell and landed right on the pentagon with the 5 circles in every corner. 

“W-what is that?”

“...an altar.” Ichigo softly answered.

“Alter?” Mr. Song asked.

“You know, like the ones from mythology, where they sacrifice living beings for their lord.” He explained, “cows, pigs, sheep, children, virgins, etc… And the last commandment is...”

**_Prove your faith._ **

_‘This is the last trail.’_

“No matter how stupid I may be, I think I can tell what’s going on now.” The middle-aged man summoned a blade from his palm. “Mr. Song, this means that we have to sacrifice someone, am I right?”

He pointed it at the other male who tensed up.

“Who brought us here? Song Chi-yul. It was you!”

“Someone who bragged about his wife and two kids was cleaved in half... And 10 people were killed as well. You agreed to take responsibility just now, right? Then PROVE IT!”

“Mister,” Ichigo growled, “that’s too…”

“You shut up and stay still!” The middle-aged man lashed out.

“Mr. Kim is right,” Mr. Song finally spoke up. “I must take responsibility. I want to go by myself so please, put the sword away.”

 _‘But it’s_ **_NOT_ ** _his fault! We all voted to come here!!’_ Ichigo pushed himself away from the statue.

“Ichigo! Your wounds are still…”

_‘It’s cowardly to say it’s his fault now!!’_

They all watched as Mr. Song made his way to the altar. He paused in front of the circle around the structure before stepping in. A small ball of fire appeared on the inner circle causing everyone to tense up.

“What…! What’s happening now??” Mr. Kim gasped.

“Kid!” Mr. Song looked back at Ichigo and raised a brow, “is that now what we’re supposed to do??”

_‘One flame? What does that mean? Did he not want a sacrifice?’_

Ichigo looked at others waiting for his response. 

“...Can someone help me to the altar?”

A hefty male and Uryu were incidentally by his side to help him up.

“Let us go to the top of the altar.”

“A-are you sure?”

“It’ll probably be fine.”

“Probably…?”

The three slowly made their way to the altar with Orihime cautiously trailing behind. Four more balls of flames appeared when they stepped into the circle.

_‘So that’s how it is.’_

“Do you think the other hunters will save us if we stay here?” He asked Mr. Song.

“Today’s the one-week mark after the gate was opened. Those _things,_ ” He gestured to the knight statues, “will move before reinforcements come.”

“They neglected this gate because it’s only a **D-Rank** …”

“Well, nothing new from what the guild does.”

_The gates open completely after seven days. The monsters can come through if the gate is completely open. Raids have the purpose of killing the boss and closing the gate before the seven-day limit._

_‘If we fail now… it means THAT monster can come through our world.’_ He scowled at the Lord statue before turning to the one who remained behind.

“You should come up here as well. For every person on the altar, a flame appears. It also looks like the trail will only start when everyone’s here.”

Mr. Kim reluctantly walked up to the altar and the last ball of fire lit up. Electricity suddenly ran down the wall to the outer circle and a blue ball of flames lit up around them. Everyone turned and was shocked to see the double doors swing open.

“I-It opened???”

“What?!”

 _‘What is this?! Can we really leave? No something else might happen.’_ Ichigo furrowed his brows to think but multiple heavy footsteps caused him to look around.

“Wh-what now?!”

“The Statues! They’re approaching us!!”

“All of them just started moving!!”

The edges of the knight’s armor were glowing blue, similar to the blue balls of flame around the surviving hunters.

“W-what are we supposed to do now??” 

“The fuck is this?! Shit!!”

Ichigo cursed and looked at one in the face. He was shocked to see it suddenly stop when his gaze fell upon it. The orange-haired boy looked at another and the statue did the same thing.

He turned to look at Orihime who had covered her eyes.

“Don’t cover your eyes! It’s the same game we played as kids! They come closer when you take your eyes off of them!” 

“Everyone! Do not take your eyes off the statues!”

The lady behind Ichigo freaked out when one of the knights came closer to the outer circle and sprinted towards the entrance of the dungeon.

“No!! Don’t-!” Ichigo yelled.

One of the fireballs around the inner circle dissipated when she stepped out. Everyone watches warily as she made it to the exit, expecting one of the guards to lash out and attack her. However, to their surprise, she made it through the entrance just fine. The guards didn’t even move.

“W-what?” 

“Kid! How’s that possible?!”

“She’s still alive??”

“The door closed a little!”

“She went through the door!!”

 _‘What? What is this?’_ Ichigo looked at the blue fireballs, _‘a blue flame disappears after a set amount of time. One of the red flames, that appeared based on the number of people on the altar disappeared as soon as she left.’_

He reviewed the commandments in his head once again.

 _‘At least the steps so far weren’t riddles like the sphinx would ask. But the open door is a_ **_trap._ ** _A false hope. When all the red flames appeared, the door opened. When it closes just a little every time a red flame disappears… The door will definitely close when all the red flames are gone!’_

_‘Prove your faith, means that even in terror and danger, with sweet temptations, keep your faith!’_

“S-sorry.” Ichigo snapped out his reverie to look at the hefty male that helped him to the altar.

“I don’t think I can stay any longer either...”

Ichigo’s eyes widened and were suddenly pushed away from him. He lost his balance and landed next to the altar. The orangette quickly sat himself up onto his elbows.

“No!!”

The man ignored his warnings and continued to run towards the door. He ran through the entrance and the doors shut a little when one of the red flames disappeared. 

“...Uh, what??” Mr. Kim pointed at the door.

“Don’t move! We can't have people leaving!!” Ichigo shouted at them. “Any less and we won’t have enough people to look at the statues! We’ll all die!!”

“Kid! What’s happening?! Please explain!” Mr. Song questioned.

“All we have to do is stay and look at the statues until the blue flames disappear! The blue flames are a timer. We’ll all be able to leave once they disappear.”

“Kiddo,” Mr. Kim began, “you may be right, but couldn’t the door just close completely when the blue flames run out? _**Are you certain?**_ ”

Ichigo opened his mouth to answer but the words were caught his throat.

**Are you certain?**

**Are you certain?**

**What if you’re wrong?**

**What if it’s not a trap?**

“To be honest, I never imagined someone as weak as you could be helpful.” Mr. Kim admitted, “I always looked down on you, never expecting anything from you even when you joined our party. A lot of people died when we entered this room. But the ones alive are because of you. All because you managed to solve the riddles here.”

Ichigo looked at him but he could only see the back of his head. 

“I’m also alive because of you. Thank you.”

“Mr. Kim…”

“But.” The man threw his sword to the ground. 

“But… I also have a family. I don’t want to die here. I don’t want to die… I’m sorry… I don’t think I can stay any longer.” He sobbed.

“Mister!!” Ichigo’s eyes widened. _‘No…’_

“I’m sorry.”

“MISTER!!!” 

Mr. Kim sprinted to the door ignoring the voice yelling at him to stay. Another red flame disappears and the door begins to close a tiny bit more.

_‘Thank you?’_

Ichigo hung his head and weaved a hand through his hair. 

_‘_ **_Don’t make me laugh!’_ **

He could almost feel the tears well up at the back of his eye,

**_‘You… you running from here… will result in OUR DEATHS!’_ **

“The door’s nearly closed… It’s too late, but I finally get what’s happening now.” Mr. Song said.

“We should all leave.”

“Mr. Song!” Orihime gasped.

“The door won’t close fully as long as there's at least one person on the altar, right? You three have more years left ahead of you… you guys should leave.”

He turned to look at Orihime and Uryu.

“Miss Inoue and Mr. Ishida, could you please help him to the door?”

“Y-yes, I-” Before Orihime could do anything else, her legs suddenly gave out. 

‘Orihime?” Uryu furrowed his brows.

“What…” She looked down at her legs and tried to stand back up. “What, what??? My legs, they won’t move!”

“It must be mana exhaustion. You use way too much mana to heal the kid over there.

“Mr. Song,” Ichigo spoke up, “You should take Orihime out of here.”

Uryu made noise, “What do you mean by that? You want us both to stay here??”

“No, not us. Me. I’m staying here. You, Uryu, will help Mr. Kim with Orihime. Due to his injuries, he might not be fast enough to make it to the door before the flames disappear. With your help, you guys will be twice as fast..”

“We can’t just leave you here!”

The sound of footsteps getting closer caused him to curse. 

“Hurry! There’s no time! GO!!”

“...” Mr. Song gave him a modified look.

“No! Ichigo… I’d rather stay!” Orihime exclaimed.

“I’ll only slow you guys down with my severed leg. Here,” He gave her his backpack. “Trade this in for cash and please buy Yuzu her paint set and Karin her soccer shoes. I’ll owe you one for going through the trouble when I return. Alright?”

“This isn’t the time for jokes-!” Mr. Kim knocked her out with a swift hand chop to the back of the neck. 

With Uryu’s help, he lifted her unconscious body up onto his shoulder.

“Sorry, but there really isn’t any time left.” Mr. Kim sighed.

“Please take care of her.”

“Ichigo…” Uryu looked absolutely torn from the decision that he was about to make.

“Yeah, I will.” Mr. Kim promised.

“Good-bye and stay safe.”

The middle-aged man sprinted to the door with Orihime over his shoulder and with Uryu supporting him, they made it through. The three fireballs in the inner circle are snuffed out and the doors slammed shut.

_‘Thank god… At least I'm the only one that’s dying...”_

“I would've at least gotten insurance if I had known this would happen,” Ichigo joked to no one what in particular as the knights moved closer. He looked around for anything to fight back the monsters - _might as well die trying_ \- and found the sword Mr. Kim had dropped earlier. Looking at it makes his heart boil, _coward,_ but he took the sword anyway. 

Every breath Ichigo took felt like a chore. Every movement felt like rolling in a pile of glass shards. The puddle of blood under him continuously expands with every passing second. Yet, in the face of utter terror and death, he lifts the blade and points it at the approaching knight.

_‘Since it has come down to this, I’m gonna take at least one of these bastards down with me.’_

His expression hardens with determination.

“Come.”

One of the nights lifted its spear and attacked without hesitation. Ichigo brought the blade up to defend him but it was a feeble attempt. The sword shattered into two and the spear went right through his chest. He cried in pain and coughed up another pool of blood. The knight cruelly lifted him off the ground and slammed his body down onto the altar. Its spear slicing out of his body as if he were butter.

Ichigo ordered his muscles to move but they were frozen from the shock. He mentally curses at how pathetic he is at the moment. 

_‘I… don’t wanna…. Don’t wanna die. I don’t wanna die!!’_

His little sister's images appear in front of his eyes. Yuzu asking him to help make dinner. Karin shyly requesting him to come to her soccer game.

**_“I’m also alive because of you. Thank you.”_ **

_‘What do you mean, “thank you”?! Quit it with all these betrayals!’_

**_“But… I also have a family. I don’t want to die here. I don’t want to die… I’m sorry… I don’t think I can stay any longer.”_ **

_‘I have a family too…! I don’t wanna die either!!’_

Then his own voice appeared in his head.

**_‘Thank god… At least I'm the only one that’s dying...”_ **

_‘Glad- GLAD??? Glad for being the only one dying here?! Stop lying to yourself! You liar!’_

The knights surround the altar as one of them lifts their blade to finish him off.

**_Pathetic._ **

**_Pathetic!_ **

**_Pathetic!!_ **

**_You’re so fucking Pathetic!_ **

**_Weak!_ **

**_Useless!_ **

_‘I… don’t wanna die... If only I had, just one more chance!’_

Everything goes silent as the sword falls upon him.

Until suddenly a bright light fills the room and everything around Ichigo comes in time. 

A navy blue screen-

_‘A… s-screen…?’_

-appears before him. 

In bold white letters it read:

**_____________**

**-Alarm-**

**[You have completed all the necessary requirements of the secret quest, “** **_Courage of the Weak_ ** **”]**

**_____________**

Ichigo blinks, _‘What’s... this?’_

Had he lost so much blood that he’s started hallucinating? Is this what hell is? Is God playing some kind of joke on him in his final moments?

He stares at the screen in confusion.

Why were the statues around him no longer moving? What is going on?

_‘Secret quest? Completed all the requirements?’_

**_“Looks like you have completed all the requirements. Congrats! To be frank, I didn’t think a weakling like you would make it.”_ **

_‘Wait, where is that voice coming from??’_

**_“You’ve earned the right to become a player, wanna accept?”_ **

_‘E-earned?? Accept?? Who- what’s going on… I must be going crazy!’_

**_“No you’re not, now choose, you idiot. You don’t have much time remaining. If you refuse, your heart will stop approximately 0.02 seconds later. Now, will you accept?”_ **The strange dual-tone voice sounded impatient.

_‘Ah… if I accept…. I don’t have to die…?’_

He thought of his sister's faces smiling back at him.

His mother's warm hugs.

And his father's encouraging words.

Another chance.

**_____________**

**-Alarm-**

**Will you accept?**

**[Accept] or [Refuse]**

**_____________**

_‘This chance… I’ll take it.’_

**_____________**

**-Alarm-**

**Welcome** **_player_ ** **.**

**_____________**

**_“Correct choice.”_ **

And the room was consumed by another blinding bright light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have already written most of Chapter 2 too and I wanted it finished. I won't come back for Chapter 3 for a while. Need to finish school work for my credits. I really do hope you enjoy it, though!

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to post something. This is a very old fic I use to work on back in Sept 2020. I'm not sure if I will continue it. Maybe.
> 
> Solo-Leveling seriously needs an anime adaption tho.


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